Festival Angels

This is how we spent Sunday morning, when we "should" have been in church. But sometimes, as important as church is, there are things that are, maybe not MORE important, but at least AS important as church is, and being with other Military Families who are experiencing deployment, and who understand what it is really like to be celebrating Christmas without Daddy/Husband, is one of those things.




Victoria and Santa.



Cody and Santa.



All of us with Santa.


Yesterday we went to "Festival Angels" at the mall. This is what it was about...

Holiday Angel Celebration

This Holiday Season, Halifax Shopping Centre is honouring our Canadian
Forces. On Sunday November 18th, Halifax Shopping Centre invites military
families to Halifax Shopping Centre for a Holiday Angel Celebration.


Activities will include:


* Free Santa photos. Photos can be directly emailed to loved-ones and
prints will also be available at no charge.

* Angel Face painting

* Holiday music

* Children's entertainers

* And holiday treats


Most importantly we will be inviting children to create an angel ornament
to be hung on one of Santa's Christmas trees in centre court. In return, each
child will receive their very own Festival Angel ornament to hang on their
Christmas tree at home.


The ornament each child will receive has been designed by artist Holly Carr
in support of our Canadian Forces. Holly will be on-hand to help the children
with their own angel ornament creations. These limited edition ornaments will
also be for sale throughout the holidays with all proceeds going to the Mental
Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. With every box purchased, a Festival Angel
ornament is donated to a Canadian Forces family in Atlantic Canada.

It was a nice time. I did have to speak to the DJ playing the Christmas music and ask him to please stop playing all the sad, sappy Christmas songs ("I'll Be Home For Christmas", "I'll Have A Blue Christmas Without You", etc), or he was going to have all these women in tears, as most of us are not going to have our husbands with us for Christmas. He said, "Oh my goodness, I never even thought", which I figured he didn't. So he promptly STOPPED playing "I'll Be Home For Christmas", and played Alvin and the Chipmunks, and other more upbeat songs.



We made ornaments, and got pictures taken with Santa, which were sent right to Daddy.



Here are the pictures that I took.














Andrew, Cody, Victoria, our friend Heather, and her little one Emily.









Heather and Emily.









My friend Beth, and her little one William.









My friend Laurie, and Beth with William.









Laurie and her sister, Jill, with Laurie's little one Ethan and Andrew.









Cody learned how to make balloon angels with Milo the Clown.





Andrew putting his ornament on the tree.











Merry Christmas!









Cody putting his ornament on the tree.









Victoria putting her ornament on the tree.









Victoria showing of the ornaments she made.




Heather and Emily, and the four of us went together, as her hubby is deployed on a different ship. He will be home next month, so their 6 months are almost over. We ran into Laurie and Beth while we were there, which was awesome! Their husbands are gone for a month, but will also be back for Christmas, however neither one of them is unfamiliar with being a "single mom" for 6 or 8 months, as their husbands have been deployed for extended periods of time as well.

I usually say that I really don't have any friends here in town, but when I stop and think, and look at all my pictures, I guess I really do. Just because we don't do a lot together, doesn't mean that if I ever needed them, or they me, we would not walk on coals for one another.

So, in the immortal words of Tiny Tim ~ God bless us, every one!



And so, today, this is...
Life As I Know It

What A Difference A Month Makes

Well the last time I posted was on my birthday. Since then Al came home from Sea, my Man~Child turned 16, and Al went back to Sea - for the big one.

This is a very short post as I really do not want my heart plastered over the internet, but if you want to know how I am doing call me or email me or Facebook me...

It snowed yesterday for the first time this season. We didn't get much here, but I guess they got quite a bit back home.

I am still having a significant amount of pain from the stupid dump truck. I haven't been to physio for about a month because I have just been too busy, but I think I will call this week and make an appointment. Seems I am going backwards instead of forward. The spasms are getting bad.

Church this morning was something else! There is a guy on the ship who only had 2 weeks notice that he was going. He and his wife (girlfriend maybe?) go to our church. We never met them before, but the Sunday before they left the Pastor announced that Al was leaving and prayed for him and for our family. After service this couple came over to talk to Al and told him he would be sailing too. Anyway, this morning she (Rachel) asked the usher where I was, so he brought her to me so we could sit together. They did the whole Rememberance Day service, O Canada, Last Post, 2 mins of silence, then talked about the veterns, and the men and women serving. The two of us sat there holding each other's hands crying. It was surreal. It almost felt like we were the only ones there, or like we were transplanted there from 100 years ago. It was the oddest feeling sitting with her and holding her hand as we cried for our husbands who are gone to Fight for Freedom. It is very difficult to describe a feeling, but it was incredible, and not something I will forget in a hurry.

Friends from church invited us to go have Christmas with them since we will be alone. I think that was very nice of them. It is nice to know that people care. Also today at church another man from church, whose son is friends with the boys, told me to call any weekend I need a break and they will take the boys for the weekend so I can breathe. AND, one of the guys who helped out with Youth Group last year messaged me on Facebook yesterday inviting Andrew to a Mooseheads game today. So he went with him, then he invited him back here for supper - so we had left over ham.

I guess even though I am having some struggles with the new leadership in the church, the people are really great - they are the same ones who were always there... I just hope that the new leaders come around. I approached 3 separate people this week, for 3 separate ministries/outreach idea, and was shot down every time. I was very upset about that, really. Made me feel like I wasn't "worthy"... Perhaps they forgot that:

"There is no one righteous, not even one" - Romans 3:9

I am in a bit of a dilemma... I want to grow closer to the Lord, I want to better my walk with Him, I want to have more Christian friends/influences in my life, I want to serve in my Church, but I can't seem to get there. I guess, contrary to what is preached, I really do have to totally "clean up my life" before I can serve in the ways that I am gifted to serve, and that is just really, really sad. Other Christians, what do you think? Please, tell me...


And so, today,
this is... Life As I Know It